Cuteness overload? It's napping kitten time

The latest viral video and it is cute...

At the beginning of the video a ginger kitten is safely tucked up with its mother, as they both take a nap. The kitten starts to fidget as if experiencing a dream. The cuteness overload as the mother cat calms the kitten with a hug.

Choices Pippa, choices!

I read at Joe that Pippa Middleton has been made three recent media offers:

'Weeks after being offered millions to star in a porn film, Pippa Middleton is now being courted by the two queens of US daytime TV – Oprah Winfrey and Barbara Walters.

The stunning younger sister of the newly-titled Duchess of Cambridge was offered $5m (€3.4m) by porn baron Steven Hirsch for “just one explicit scene” and her “choice of partners” in a letter dated May 6, however we reckon the latest rumours of screen work may be more to her liking.'

Don't just write off the porn offer Pippa; $5 million is a lot of money even with the improving Sterling-Dollar exchange rate and would it really be worse than appearing opposite Oprah or even worse Barbara Walters?

Blog News (a further update)

The project ends this week so blogging may be a little intermittent until next Monday.

Well it would have to, wouldn't it?

AutoExpress report that:

'The wraps are officially off the soft-top version of Mercedes’ SLS AMG supercar – and as expected, it has lost the famous upward-opening gullwing doors, opting instead for traditionally hinged units.'

Well it would have to, wouldn't it? How would you fit gullwing doors to a convertible?

Free at last?

In the UK in 2011 it is estimated that on average the state takes 53% of GDP in taxes, so the average man is working from January the 1st to 30th May for the country and not for himself.

So from today you can finally earn money for yourself, what a relief. Of course there's an awful lot of people not working at all but let's not depress ourselves unduly on what should be a joyful day - free at last!

Bank Holiday Monday evening catchup

My Firefox crashed yesterday, taking 30+ tabs with it but even so I have more open then I can ever blog about in the coming week;

1) AFP report on the murderous Syrian regime:

'Pro-democracy activists in Syria called for fresh protests on Saturday after the alleged torture and killing of a 13-year-old boy by security forces in the flashpoint region of Daraa.

The body of Hamza al-Khatib was returned to his family on Wednesday, following his disappearance after a demonstration on April 29, activists said on their Facebook site, Syrian Revolution 2011.

"We will go out from every home, from every district to express our anger" over the killing, they wrote on the page which carries a picture of the boy.

"A month had passed by with his family not knowing where he is, or if or when will he be released. He was released to his family as a dead body. Upon examining his body, the signs of torture are very clear," they said.

"There were a few bullets in his body used as a way of torture rather than to kill him with. Clear signs of severe physical abuse appeared on the body such as marks done with hands, sticks, and shoes. Hamza?s penis was also cut off."'

I await the protests from the leftist elements who would be up in (metaphorical) arms had this been Israel at fault; I think I will wait in vain.


2) The Telegraph and The Mail have the photographic proof that Samantha Cameron is fit; in both senses of the word.


3) Mary Sean Young has some fascinating Polaroids from the set of Bladerunner, here's one...

Rachael and Deckard together...


4) The Telegraph report on what happens when occupational health departments need to ensure they generate work to keep them employed:

'...modern day police officers are being issued with "lifestyle guides", suggesting bedtime routines and healthy eating options.

Among the pearls of wisdom offered in the documents are that officers should assist their spouses with household chores and do activities such as gardening and dancing to keep fit.

The guides even offer advice on what fillings officers should have in their sandwiches. '

5) ZeroHedge think that DeSpiegel are taking a risk of being sued by Greece:

'Germany's Der Spiegel seems hell bent on getting sued to hell and back by Greece. After a few weeks ago it "broke" the news of a secret meeting that would consider the expulsion of the country from the Eurozone, it is once again stirring passions with an article claiming that Greece has missed all fiscal targets agreed under its bailout plan, according to a mission from an international inspection team, putting further funding for Athens at risk, Reuters summarizes. "The troika (aka the International Monetary Fund, the European Commission and the European Central Bank) asserts in its report to be presented next week that Greece had missed all its agreed fiscal targets," weekly Spiegel magazine reported in a prerelease. In other words, this could be the political game over for Greece, whose fate as has been disclosed recently, is intimately tied with the perception that it is following the troika's demands for fiscal change. If the three key bailout institutions are already leaking that Greece is done, next week could well be the beginning of the end for the €.'

Is that true, is the Eurozone about to fall apart as Greece fails to meet its targets? Does this mean that David Cameron will stop promising money to ailing EuroZone countries? Does this mean that those people who called for the UK to join the Euro will now admit their mistakes and that William Hague, John Redmond amongst others were right when they were being ridiculed for being 'little Englanders' and out of step with history?


6) Brian Lee Crowley in The Financial Post examines the premise behind the question “Are we running out of natural resources?” and explains why we are not. A good explanation that should be required reading for all eco-loons. Here's the conclusion:

'We are nowhere near to running out of natural resources. Human creativity and financial resources together will ensure a continued supply of all the resources we need. The exact form those resources will take cannot be known today, however. It relies on future innovations, which are, by their nature, unpredictable because they will be the fruit of our imagination and curiosity. That is why the human mind is the greatest natural resource of all.'

7) WireUpdate has some bad news for many visitors to Amsterdam:

'In an effort to stop drug tourism, the Dutch government on Friday decided to restrict access to cannabis coffee shops so that tourists will no longer be able to buy the drugs.

Coffee shops are establishments in the Netherlands where the sale of cannabis for personal consumption by the public is tolerated by the local authorities. As this is illegal in most countries, many tourists from around the world travel to Amsterdam to use cannabis.

But in an effort to reduce criminal behavior and tourism as a result of the drug policy, the Dutch government on Friday decided to introduce a membership system for coffee shops. The city of Amsterdam, where most tourists go, is against the decision

The new system will require members of coffee shops to be a citizen of the Netherlands and over the age of 18.'

This will not help the Amsterdam tourist industry and might make the drug-pushers in the Red Light district even more insistent...


8) The Other McCain has all you need to know about 'Weinergate', actually make that more than you probably want to know about New York Democrat Rep. Anthony Weiner's penis, BlackBerry


9) Noel Sheppard at NewsBusters wonders whether 'Hatred Towards Conservative Women is Last Acceptable Misogyny in U.S.'. here's an extract:

'Of course, Tantaros was correct.

What America has painfully learned since former Alaska governor Sarah Palin was first announced as John McCain's running mate in 2008 is that it is completely acceptable for media members to mercilessly attack a woman in print or on television and radio if she is a conservative.

In reality, not only is it condoned, it's applauded.

You can even win awards for doing so - just ask Katie Couric.

Sadder still is that the Left is constantly carping and whining about the scarcity of women in politics.

Maybe if they wouldn't attack every conservative female that deigns to enter public life there'd be more of them - or is that just too darned logical for a liberal?'

10) BizyBlog claims 'AP Reporters Fabricate Scurrilous ‘Possible’ Reason Why Walesa Wouldn’t Meet With Obama'. It's an interesting theory and one that should chime with anyone who realises quite how biased most of the world's media is in favour of Barack Obama. Investors Business Daily has the more plausible explanation:

' Someone who was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize for actually doing something just snubbed someone who won it for nothing. But Lech Walesa’s refusal to meet President Obama is also a cry to save Poland.

Lech Walesa, the former Polish president and heroic leader of the Solidarity trade union that helped liberate the entire Eastern European Soviet bloc from communist rule, has his moral courage indelibly engraved in the history books.

… on Friday, Walesa once again answered the call to duty and announced he would not accept fellow Nobel Peace laureate President Obama’s invitation to meet with him in Poland after the G-8 Summit in France.

… Close observers of this president for the two-plus years of his rule know he isn’t interested in listening to the likes of Walesa, any more than he wants to hear the leaders of former Soviet satellite states explain how the low, flat tax rates they adopted in recent years led their nations to double-digit GDP growth.

For the sake of preserving Poland’s hard-fought freedom, Komorowski and Tusk should be joining Walesa in giving Obama the cold shoulder.

The president hadn’t even had a chance to redecorate the Oval Office before he felt the need, in fall of 2009, to appease Moscow by scrapping plans to build a missile defense shield protecting Poland and the Czech Republic from attack by Russia, Iran or any other aggressor.

At the time, the Polish minister of defense said, “This is catastrophic for Poland.”

The message, once again, delivered loud and clear to America’s friends, allies and enemies alike, is that the U.S. can’t be relied on.

… The message Poland’s leaders should deliver to our self-satisfied president is the one Walesa is delivering by his absence: Neither your Nobel nor bin Laden’s head, Mr. President, is a substitute for U.S. help in keeping a liberated Eastern Europe liberated.'

That has cleared ten tabs, only another 20 or so to go!

That cannot be easy to drive in a straight line

<br/><a href="http://video.uk.msn.com/watch/video/moron-drives-crashed-mercedes/1j4cpckal?from=homepage_related&src=v5:embed::&fg=sharenoembed" target="_new"title="Moron Drives Crashed Mercedes">Video: Moron Drives Crashed Mercedes</a>
I know its a Mercedes and they are built like tanks but I would say that one needs some work on the left front wheel...

Well I got that wrong

Been out all day, came home and turned on the cricket just before tea. At tea the Sky experts were saying that it wasn't all over and England could take 8 more wickets for not too many runs in 50 overs. After all the West Indies had bowled England out for that sort of score before. Yes indeed I thought but England don't have that calibre of bowler and this is not Sabina Park. Tea was taken in the Test Match and indeed at Casa NotaSheep and we settled down to watch a little cricket. My cynicism was exposed as England have taken six more wickets for 40 runs. Can they win it now? Maybe they can. Should I take up sport punditry? probably not a good idea!


UPDATE:
Yes they can and did; well done England as I thought four frontline bowlers was not enough let alone three once Anderson went off injured as a bowler. I'd still prefer better than Pieterson and Trott sharing fifth bowler duties but what do I know about cricket?!

The one hundred and thirty-third weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

This week's award goes to The Taxpayers Alliand for their discovery as reported in The Express that:

'THE Palestinian Authority is using UK aid to buy school books which incite anti-Semitism and martyrdom, according to the TaxPayers’ Alliance.

The pressure group also says UK cash, which amounted to £62.5million in 2009, is helping to indoctrinate children in Gaza and the West Bank by funding official media that celebrates terrorism and preaches hatred.

Matthew Sinclair, director of the TaxPayers’ Alliance, said: “It is vital the next generation of Palestinians aren’t brought up to choose violent confrontation over peaceful compromise.”'

 Western 'aid' being used to fund hated of Jews in Israel, and outside - "No shit, Sherlock"

The Express article concludes thus:

'A Government spokesman said: “This is based on an old, erroneous report. The textbooks have also been approved in East Jerusalem Palestinian schools which fall under the control of the Israeli Ministry of Education.

“Our programme helps the three-quarters of Gazans relying on food aid simply to stay alive where 90 per cent of mains water is unfit.”'

Somehow I don't believe this denial. The FCO is full of Arabists and hates Israel almost as much as the French and Arabs do.

"You don't have to believe me, you don't have to like me, nobody has to eat with me, drink with me or sleep with me but Jesus Christ, take the truth when you see it."

"You don't have to believe me, you don't have to like me, nobody has to eat with me, drink with me or sleep with me but Jesus Christ, take the truth when you see it."

The BBC report  that Jack Warner is not happy:

'Suspended Fifa vice-president Jack Warner has made public an e-mail that claims Mohamed Bin Hammam "bought" the 2022 World Cup finals for Qatar.

The e-mail, seemingly from Fifa general secretary Jerome Valcke, also questions why Asian confederation chief Bin Hammam was running for Fifa president.

Valcke wrote: "[Hammam] thought you can buy Fifa as they bought the World Cup".'

Sepp Blatter, Mohammed Bin Hammam and Jack Warner; that FIFA  really does have it all.

Yvonne Ridley needs educating re Israel and 'apartheid'

That was Yvonne Ridley's Tweet that I read this morning.

This accusing of Israel of being an 'apartheid state' has got to stop as it isn't true and also because the Islamic states near Israel are far closer to being apartheid states than is Israel.

Here are some examples as to why Israel is not an 'apartheid state':

1) From May this year the story that:

''Hundreds of people are estimated to flee Eritrea every month, often making risky journeys to reach Europe or Israel in search of better opportunities.' The BBC report

a strange tale of people fleeing Eritrea and wanting to go only to Europe or Israel; the story really does not fit with the BBC's usual portrayal of Israel as vile 'apartheid state'.'

2) From March the story of Rania Fadel, an Israeli Arab who belongs to StandWithUs and takes real exception to Israel being characterized as an Apartheid state. A video well worth watching.


3) From January the story of tennis standout Nadine Fahoum and her mother, Wafa Zoabi Fahoum, a lawyer by trade, who was formerly the head of Beit Hagefen, a non-profit organization in Haifa that works toward improving relations between Arabs and Jews. As I asked in January 'What is wrong with Israel that an Arab girl can do so well and represent her country from 2003 to 2008? Israel the apartheid state; I think not.' Contrast that with the attitude of many Islamic states who refuse to allow Israeli sportsmen to enter tournaments in their countries and sometimes all Israelis.


4) From November 2010: In Jerusalem, Israel's capital stands the Dome of the Rock and the Al-Aqsa Mosques, entry to which is forbidden to Jews; this is in the capital of the 'apartheid state'. Meanwhile in Saudi Arabia no non Muslim is allowed to enter Mecca.

This situation in Jerusalem contrasts starkly with the state of affairs that existed in Jerusalem between 1948 and its liberation in 1967. During the 1948 Arab-Israeli War the Old City including the Wailing Wall were captured by Jordan. Article VIII of the 1949 Armistice Agreement provided for Israeli Jewish access to the Wall. However for the following nineteen years, despite numerous requests by Israeli officials and Jewish groups to the United Nations and other international bodies to attempt to enforce the armistice agreement, Jordan refused to abide by this clause as part of a policy of Islamization. Some sources claim Jews could only visit the wall if they travelled through Jordan (which was not an option for Israelis) and did not have an Israeli visa stamped in their passports. Others say Jordan even barred non-Israeli Jews, demanding that tourists present a certificate of baptism before a visa would be granted.

The most sickening thing about this, is that if you presented this information to the sanctimonious hypocrites that call Israel an apartheid state they wouldn't even care. They 'know' the 'truth' and everything else is irrelevant. They know that Israel is an 'apartheid state' and nothing will change their sick, closed, hate-filled minds.


5) In 2007 I explained that Israel was not an 'apartheid state' but that many Islamic ones were:

'Saeb Erekat, one of the PLO/PA's most senior spokesman recently declared that the "Palestinians" will never recognize Israel as a Jewish state. He was speaking on Palestine Radio Monday when he gave the rationale for the "Palestinian" position. "There is no country in the world where religious and national identities are intertwined,". An interesting position to take and of course one that is frequently referred to by the "Israel is an apartheid state" crowd.

The truth is somewhat at odds with the statement as I have mentioned before. Here is a longer list than my last:
1) Saudi Arabia - The Saudi constitution states "Saudi Arabia is a sovereign Arab Islamic state with Islam as its religion." (see * below)
2) Pakistan - "The Islamic Republic of..."
3) Afghanistan - "The Islamic Republic of..."
4) Iran - "The Islamic Republic of..."
5) Jordan - The Jordanian constitution describes that country as an "Arab State" and notes that "Islam is the religion of the State."

Just remind me why Israel is an apartheid state and not Saudi Arabia...

*
"Saudi Arabia is an Islamic monarchy and the Government has declared the Qur'an and the Sunnah (tradition) of Muhammad to be the country’s Constitution. Freedom of religion is severely limited. Islam is the official religion, and all citizens must be Muslims. The Government prohibits the private and public practice of other religions. The Government bases its legitimacy on governance according to the precepts of the rigorously conservative and strict interpretation of the Salafi or Wahhabi school of the Sunni branch of Islam and discriminates against other branches of Islam."

"Under Saudi law conversion by a Muslim to another religion is considered apostasy, a crime punishable by death if the accused does not recant."

"Saudi Arabia prohibits public non-Muslim religious activities. Non-Muslim worshipers risk arrest, imprisonment, lashing, deportation, and sometimes torture for engaging in overt religious activity that attracts official attention."

"The Government does not permit non-Muslim clergy to enter the country for the purpose of conducting religious services, although some come under other auspices and perform religious functions in secret. Such restrictions make it very difficult for most non-Muslims to maintain contact with clergymen and attend services. Catholics and Orthodox Christians, who require a priest on a regular basis to receive the sacraments required by their faith, particularly are affected."

"Proselytizing by non-Muslims, including the distribution of non-Muslim religious materials such as Bibles, is illegal. Muslims or non-Muslims wearing religious symbols of any kind in public risk confrontation with the Mutawwa'in. Under the auspices of the Ministry of Islamic Affairs, approximately 50 so-called "Call and Guidance" centers employing approximately 500 persons work to convert foreigners to Islam. Some non-Muslim foreigners convert to Islam during their stay in the country. According to official reports, 942 foreign workers converted to Islam in the past year. The press often carries articles about such conversions, including testimonials. The press as well as government officials publicized the conversion of the Italian Ambassador to Saudi Arabia in late 2001."

"The Government requires non citizen  residents to carry a Saudi residence permit (Iqama) for identification in place of their passports.[4] Among other information, these contain a religious designation for "Muslim" or "non-Muslim."

"Until March 1, 2004, the official government website stated that Jews were forbidden from entering the country"

"According to Alan Dershowitz, "in Saudi Arabia apartheid is practiced against non-Muslims, with signs indicating that Muslims must go to certain areas and non-Muslims to others.""

"According Saudi policy for tourists, it is not permissible to bring Christian or Jewish religious symbols and books into the kingdom and they are subject to confiscation" '

Yvonne Ridley says that Israel is an 'apartheid state'; is she misinformed or deliberately misleading people?

Today is the last day that you are working for the state.

In the UK in 2011 it is estimated that on average the state takes 53% of GDP in taxes, so the average man is working from January the 1st to 30th May for the country and not for himself.

The whole year so far working for the state, how does that feel? Of course this is an average and there's an awful lot of people not working at all but let's not depress ourselves unduly!

The worst PowerPoint slide ever?

InFocus have more contestants.

Is Barack Obama a 'turncoat'?

'Have we become a nation of Turncoats? Bill and Dr. Victor Davis Hansen say yes. Ammo up at http://www.amazon.com/Administration-Threatens-National-Encounter-Broadsides/...'

Thanks to Theo Spark for the spot.

"... What if you are out of time..?"

A good question raised during this odd piece of video from Washington DC



The descriptionalongside the video runs:

'On May28, 2011 Television host Adam Kokesh and several other activists participating in a flash-mob were arrested at the publicly-funded Thomas Jefferson Memorial. Their crime? Silently dancing, in celebration of the first amendment's champion; a clear violation of their right to free-expression. In an excessive use of force, video was captured of Adam being body slammed and placed in a choke for his non-crime.'

I am not sure how much sympathy I have for the 'dancers' provocation but then the police don't come over at all well either.



Thanks to Boing Boing for the spot.

A return to the Doctor Who sets of my past

Reviews of the last two episodes to follow but something struck me over the last few weeks. The last three episodes (The Doctor's Wife, The Rebel Flesh and The Almost People) all have a Jon Pertwee/Tom Baker/Peter Davison feel: small sets, lots of running down corridors whether in futuristic spacecraft or mines, prosthetics & makeup rather than CGI. I know the budgets have been cut but if this is the result then keep cutting. The occasional overblown saving the universe from destruction episode is fine but Doctor Who suits the small-scale claustrophobic episode better, so more of these please.

What a dire suit

What a badly fitting, oddly coloured and strange choice of suit; quite suits Ed Miliband though!

BBC have a timing issue re Monaco Grand Prix video

Actually the video is 4:06 long...

All thanks to multiculturalism

Graeme Archer's piece in Saturday's Telegraph struck a chord with me and not just because I too am a Finkler and am reading Howard Jacobson's latest novel 'The Finkler Question'. If you read only one broadsheet article this weekend read Gareme Archer's, it sums so much of what Labour's obsession with multiculturalism as a means of 'rubbing the right's nose in diversity' has resulted in.

Here's an extract to give you a flavour:

'A few weeks ago, I crossed the road outside Sainsbury's in Whitechapel. Glued to the lamp-post was a rainbow poster, with a cross through it, decorated with the words "Gay Free Zone" and "Fear Allah". I felt sick. And, yes, resigned. Unconsciously, I mimicked the behaviour of Jacobson's Jewish Londoners: I tried not to think about the implication of what I had seen.

Such stickers soon appeared all over. Not to worry! We were reassured by civic leaders that it was wrong to link these manifestations of hatred with the increasing Islamisation of the borough. Didn't we realise, warned our betters, that by reacting, we might be allowing ourselves to be duped? They could easily be the work of a far-Right group, trying to stir up division on streets that would otherwise hum with quiet multicultural harmony.

They could even, said a "community leader", be the work of that bogeyman de nos jours, the English Defence League. So important was it not to draw the obvious inference (that untackled radical Islam makes the East End an increasingly hostile environment for gay people) that when a small counter-demonstration was proposed, its organisers were smeared as a front for – you guessed it – the EDL. Don't look at the posters; move along, please.

In Tuesday's paper, we read of the trial of five Muslim men, who admitted "grievous bodily harm with intent": that is, they attacked and maimed Gary Smith, a religious education teacher from an East End school. They were recorded on the way, saying: "This is the dog we want to hit, to strike, to kill." Mr Smith, in their opinion, had been insufficiently pro-Islam. But what's the scarred face of one schoolteacher when set against the need to keep the peace?

There's more, a lot more. A young Asian chemist has received death threats for refusing to wear a veil. You know, the veil that some people tell us is a sign of female empowerment. A Muslim councillor was given similar treatment, for dressing in too Western a fashion.

So I'll tell you what I never want to hear again. I never want to listen to a politician, living somewhere far, far removed from Bethnal Green, uttering a sentence like: "On the one hand, the Islamic extremists… On the other, the equally offensive English Defence League", as though the two have independent but morally equivalent aetiologies. I don't expect philosophical grandeur from any government. But I do expect its representatives to understand the difference between cause and effect.

The cause of all this is not just Labour's immigration policy, or the Human Rights Act, or the fawning of Ken Livingstone over Yusuf al-Qaradawi (a preacher who'd like to put me, and other homosexuals, to death). First, Labour enacted legislation that taught minority groups that their grievances had legal recourse (rather than suggesting that in a good society, we all need to be able to get on). This has spiralled into today's culture of fear – you think I'm not scared to write all this down? And when – as in Tower Hamlets – minorities come into conflict, the response of the rulers is entirely predictable: the group with the most votes wins.'

What's happening in London's East End is just starting to happen in Golders Green and other places in London will not be too far behind. Thanks to multiculturalism, militant Islam is on the rise in London and elsewhere in Great Britain and we will probably not be able to stop it. Thanks Tony, thanks Jack, thanks Labour.

Oh put some clothes on dear!

Lady Gaga's weird 'Telephone ft Beyonce' video; put some bloody clothes on dear, I think we've seen quite enough of your body.

Gil Scott-Heron R.I.P.

I have just heard that Gil Scott-Heron has died and I am really upset. A great artist and singer of some really memorable songs. One of my favourite songs of my teenage years was "B-Movie" as I first heard on an New Musical Express compilation tape. A wonderful protest song. As I have said before, I didn't agree with his politics but then I didn't agree with Elvis Costello, Paul Weller or the Hosemartins, it's just that the left does have the best tunes.

I never saw Gil Scott-Heron play live which is something I will regret to my dieing day but I have the vinyl and the CDs and they will now have to suffice.

There's plenty of Gil on my blog, take a look and listen but here's a few tracks.

First the afore-mentioned "B Movie", although not the definitive NME version...

"Well, the first thing I want to say is… Mandate my ass... 51% of the registered voters had voted for nobody and so as far as they were concerned that indicated that nobody should be the President"
For the full lyrics take a look at this 2008 post of mine but here's a few extracts, oh ok the whole thing!:

'"Well, the first thing I want to say is…”Mandate my ass!”

Because it seems as though we've been convinced that 26% of the registered voters, not even 26% of the American people, but 26% of the registered voters form a mandate – or a landslide. 21% voted for Skippy and 3, 4% voted for somebody else who might have been running.

But, oh yeah, I remember. In this year that we have now declared the year from Shogun to Reagan, I remember what I said about Reagan…meant it. Acted like an actor…Hollyweird. Acted like a liberal. Acted like General Franco when he acted like governor of California, then he acted like a republican. Then he acted like somebody was going to vote for him for president. And now we act like 26% of the registered voters is actually a mandate. We're all actors in this I suppose.

What has happened is that in the last 20 years, America has changed from a producer to a consumer. And all consumers know that when the producer names the tune…the consumer has got to dance. That's the way it is. We used to be a producer – very inflexible at that, and now we are consumers and, finding it difficult to understand. Natural resources and minerals will change your world. The Arabs used to be in the 3rd World. They have bought the 2nd World and put a firm down payment on the 1st one. Controlling your resources we'll control your world. This country has been surprised by the way the world looks now. They don't know if they want to be Matt Dillon or Bob Dylan. They don't know if they want to be diplomats or continue the same policy - of nuclear nightmare diplomacy. John Foster Dulles ain't nothing but the name of an airport now.

The idea concerns the fact that this country wants nostalgia. They want to go back as far as they can – even if it's only as far as last week. Not to face now or tomorrow, but to face backwards. And yesterday was the day of our cinema heroes riding to the rescue at the last possible moment. The day of the man in the white hat or the man on the white horse - or the man who always came to save America at the last moment – someone always came to save America at the last moment – especially in “B” movies. And when America found itself having a hard time facing the future, they looked for people like John Wayne. But since John Wayne was no longer available, they settled for Ronald Reagan – and it has placed us in a situation that we can only look at – like a “B” movie.

Come with us back to those inglorious days when heroes weren't zeros. Before fair was square. When the cavalry came straight away and all-American men were like Hemingway to the days of the wondrous “B” movie. The producer underwritten by all the millionaires necessary will be Casper “The Defensive” Weinberger – no more animated choice is available. The director will be Attila the Haig, running around frantically declaring himself in control and in charge. The ultimate realization of the inmates taking over at the asylum. The screenplay will be adapted from the book called “Voodoo Economics” by George “Papa Doc” Bush. Music by the “Village People” the very military "Macho Man."

“Company!!!”
“Macho, macho man!”
“ Two-three-four.”
“ He likes to be – well, you get the point.”
“Huuut! Your left! Your left! Your left…right, left, right, left, right…!”

A theme song for saber-rallying and selling wars door-to-door. Remember, we're looking for the closest thing we can find to John Wayne. Clichés abound like kangaroos – courtesy of some spaced out Marlin Perkins, a Reagan contemporary. Clichés like, “itchy trigger finger” and “tall in the saddle” and “riding off or on into the sunset.” Clichés like, “Get off of my planet by sundown!” More so than clichés like, “he died with his boots on.” Marine tough the man is. Bogart tough the man is. Cagney tough the man is. Hollywood tough the man is. Cheap stick tough. And Bonzo's substantial. The ultimate in synthetic selling: A Madison Avenue masterpiece – a miracle – a cotton-candy politician…Presto! Macho!

“Macho, macho man!”

Put your orders in America. And quick as Kodak your leaders duplicate with the accent being on the nukes - cause all of a sudden we have fallen prey to selective amnesia - remembering what we want to remember and forgetting what we choose to forget. All of a sudden, the man who called for a blood bath on our college campuses is supposed to be Dudley “God-damn” Do-Right?

“You go give them liberals hell Ronnie.” That was the mandate. To the new “Captain Bly” on the new ship of fools. It was doubtlessly based on his chameleon performance of the past - as a liberal democrat – as the head of the Studio Actor's Guild. When other celluloid saviors were cringing in terror from McCarthy – Ron stood tall. It goes all the way back from Hollywood to hillbilly. From liberal to libelous, from “Bonzo” to Birch idol…born again. Civil rights, women's rights, gay rights…it's all wrong. Call in the cavalry to disrupt this perception of freedom gone wild. God damn it…first one wants freedom, then the whole damn world wants freedom.

Nostalgia, that's what we want…the good ol' days…when we gave'em hell. When the buck stopped somewhere and you could still buy something with it. To a time when movies were in black and white – and so was everything else. Even if we go back to the campaign trail, before six-gun Ron shot off his face and developed hoof-in-mouth. Before the free press went down before full-court press. And were reluctant to review the menu because they knew the only thing available was – Crow.

Lon Chaney, our man of a thousand faces - no match for Ron. Doug Henning does the make-up - special effects from Grecian Formula 16 and Crazy Glue. Transportation furnished by the David Rockefeller of Remote Control Company. Their slogan is, “Why wait for 1984? You can panic now...and avoid the rush.”

So much for the good news…

As Wall Street goes, so goes the nation. And here's a look at the closing numbers – racism's up, human rights are down, peace is shaky, war items are hot - the House claims all ties. Jobs are down, money is scarce – and common sense is at an all-time low on heavy trading. Movies were looking better than ever and now no one is looking because, we're starring in a “B” movie. And we would rather had John Wayne…we would rather had John Wayne.

"You don't need to be in no hurry.
You ain't never really got to worry.
And you don't need to check on how you feel.
Just keep repeating that none of this is real.
And if you're sensing, that something's wrong,
Well just remember, that it won't be too long
Before the director cuts the scene…yea."

“This ain't really your life,
Ain't really your life,
Ain't really ain't nothing but a movie.”

[Refrain repeated about 25 times or more in an apocalyptic crescendo with a military cadence.]

“This ain't really your life,
Ain't really your life,
Ain't really ain't nothing but a movie.” '

Here's Mrs NotaSheep's favourite track "Whitey on the Moon"


and the song that should have been the anthem of the South African protest movement - "Johannesburg'


I suppose that Gil Scott Heron's most famous track is "The Revolution Will Not Be televised", so here is that track


and here is Gil talking about the meaning of that song form 'the 90's'


The other thing that I thought is that Barack Obama sounds very much like Gil Scott-Heron, take a look at the Newsnight videos in this posting of mine.

Gil Scott-Heron 1 April 1949 – 27 May 2011, Godfather of Rap and influential black activist, R.I.P.

SexyMP - The thoughts of Mrs NotaSheep

I showed Mrs NotaSheep the site and she has some thoughts on some of the top 20.

	#1 Mark Harper Conservative Forest of Dean Score: 1805 Won: 122 Lost: 29		#2 James Wharton Conservative Stockton South Score: 1760 Won: 125 Lost: 31		#3 Edward Vaisey Conservative Wantage Score: 1796 Won: 124 Lost: 38
	#4 Joseph Johnson Conservative Orpington Score: 1744 Won: 139 Lost: 38		#5 Steve Brine Conservative Winchester Score: 1725 Won: 122 Lost: 32		#6 Douglas Alexander Labour Paisley and Renfrewshire South Score: 1741 Won: 112 Lost: 31
	#7 Dominic Raab Conservative Esher and Walton Score: 1757 Won: 142 Lost: 42		#8 David Miliband Labour South Shields Score: 1722 Won: 133 Lost: 37		#9 David Laws Liberal Democrat Yeovil Score: 1698 Won: 130 Lost: 35
	#10 Andy Burnham Labour Leigh Score: 1749 Won: 118 Lost: 37		#11 Duncan Hames Liberal Democrat Chippenham Score: 1720 Won: 123 Lost: 37		#12 Zac Goldsmith Conservative Richmond Park Score: 1698 Won: 124 Lost: 38
	#13 Edward Timson Conservative Crewe and Nantwich Score: 1752 Won: 120 Lost: 42		#14 James Morris Conservative Halesowen and Rowley Regis Score: 1787 Won: 106 Lost: 40		#15 David Ruffley Conservative Bury St Edmunds Score: 1706 Won: 109 Lost: 35
	#16 Aiden Burley Conservative Cannock Chase Score: 1697 Won: 128 Lost: 41		#17 Chuka Umunna Labour Streatham Score: 1704 Won: 119 Lost: 40		#18 Jake Berry Conservative Rossendale and Darwen Score: 1695 Won: 108 Lost: 38
	#19 Tristram Hunt Labour Stoke-on-Trent Central Score: 1701 Won: 128 Lost: 47		#20 Chris Kelly Conservative Dudley South Score: 1714 Won: 118 Lost: 45

Sexiest - Zac Goldsmith
Edward Vaisey - "Nice boy"
David Laws - "Definitely not, just as well as he's gay"
Joseph Johnson - "bit too ginger (sorry strawberry blonde)"
David Miliband - "No, no, no"
Mark Harper - "too dull"
James Morris - "bit smooooth"
Chris Kelly - "looks like a nice guy, I mean look at that lovely hair!"

And further down the list:
42: Charles Kennedy - "Things have got desperate"
47: David Cameron - "He should be higher than that, doesn't power give you sex appeal?"
115: Michael Gove - Me "I can't beleive there are many MPs less sexy than Michael Gove" Mrs NotaSheep pointing at screen "Dennis Skinner?!"
129: Ed Miliband - "Ed should be higher than his brother" Me: "Yes but only after the Union vote is counted"
208: Jack Straw - "If I was anyone below him I'd be very, very cheesed off"
374: Nia Griffith - "Oh there's a woman" - Database failure?
394: John Thurso "What's Jim Royle doing there?"
402: Margaret Ritchie - Another database failure
Bottom 10 - "Very fair comment"

Women: Mrs NotaSheep is an equal opportunities commentator
Top 8 are "all fine, lovely looking ladies"
"Apart from Liz Kendall and Sarah Teather, it's pretty good down to 24 Susan Jones."
"#126: Th?�r?�se Coffey" - Another database malfunction?

Something I noticed:
Top 10 of "Mixed" are all women, in fact Mark Harper is only man in top 20, well done sir; I salute you - but not in that way. Mrs NotaSheep: "clean and quite handsome"

There is something deeply odd about this website

Sexy MP  states its purpose thus:

'In addition to my wanting to create a fun and memorable tool to help the British public get to know their Members of Parliament, I thought it would be an interesting opportunity to hold the first ever parliamentary beauty contest and find out once and for all which MPs and Parties have the most sex-appeal. Although I fully expect this to offend some people, this was never my intention and I hope you will see the funny side.'

The rankings seem to be based upon winning head-to-head contests. Here's the current top 10:

Results

	#1 Sarah Teather Liberal Democrat Brent Central Score: 2708 Won: 760 Lost: 242		#2 Caroline Flint Labour Don Valley Score: 2307 Won: 1740 Lost: 293		#3 Louise Bagshawe Conservative Corby Score: 2282 Won: 2454 Lost: 437
	#4 Charlotte Leslie Conservative Bristol North West Score: 1933 Won: 595 Lost: 129		#5 Zac Goldsmith Conservative Richmond Park Score: 1787 Won: 116 Lost: 17		#6 Tristram Hunt Labour Stoke-on-Trent Central Score: 1782 Won: 122 Lost: 18
	#7 Priti Patel Conservative Witham Score: 1877 Won: 454 Lost: 111		#8 Liz Kendall Labour Leicester West Score: 1856 Won: 434 Lost: 106		#9 Mary Macleod Conservative Brentford and Isleworth Score: 1779 Won: 540 Lost: 110
	#10 Chris Skidmore Conservative Kingswood Score: 1757 Won: 111 Lost: 23

Sarah Teather number 1, how can that be correct?Of those 10 Priti Patel would get my vote though, even her name is right.

The NHS is the envy of the world

'The NHS is the envy of the world' we are told by those who cannot come to terms with the reality of the NHS for many, many people. I don't think that rest of the world envy us a national health service where it is reported that Doctors are prescribing drinking water for neglected elderly patients to stop them dying of thirst in hospital. It seems that some doctors have discovered that prescribing water is the only way to ensure that NHS nurses give water to their patients.

The Mail reports that:

'Dehydration contributes to the death of more than 800 hospital patients every year.

Another 300 die malnourished. The latest report – by the Care Quality Commission – found patients frequently complained they were spoken to in a ‘condescending and dismissive’ manner.

The watchdog said three of 12 NHS trusts visited in the past three months were failing to meet the most basic standards required by law.

They were: Worcestershire Acute Hospitals NHS Trust, Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust and Royal Free Hampstead NHS Trust in North London.

The findings follow a joint campaign by the Mail and the Patients Association last year which exposed shocking examples of substandard care.

Similar failings were highlighted earlier this year by the Health Service Ombudsman who cited cases of patients left to become so thirsty they could not cry for help.

Since February, a team of inspectors from the CQC – including a nurse and an elderly patient – have been visiting 100 NHS trusts unannounced to check elderly patients are treated with dignity.

They found other, less serious concerns at a further three trusts: Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust and Homerton University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust in London and the Wye Valley NHS Trust – meaning just half of hospitals were providing the most basic standards of care.'

The NHS 'the envy of the world'? I think not.

Is this called jiyza?

I read in The Guardian that

'Arab countries in transition to democracy are to be offered as much as £12bn in aid, loans and debt relief as a result of pledges being compiled at the G8 group of nations summit on Friday. The money will come from international financial institutions and members of the G8.'

Yes, it seems that the West are going to throw even more money at countries who a) mostly have plenty of oil money that they often prefer to spend on their military or siphon off to their elite and b) whose 'transition to democracy' is very likely to mean the coming to power of Islamists who mean us considerable harm. Why are Western governments and pan-national institutions so stupid? Do they not realise that they are simply throwing money at people who hate us and thus aiding are enemies?

Are the conspiracy theories that Western governments are trying to merge Europe with Arab North Africa and the Muslim Middle East actually onto something? Is there a cunning plan being followed? I only ask because if there isn't then there seems to be a lot of incompetence out there.

Is Greece actually, or at least nearly, insolvent?

I hear that the chairman of the Eurozone finance ministers has warned that the IMF may not release the next scheduled payment of Greece's bail-out package. it seems that IMF rules may stop it paying the amount of €12 billion because Greece cannot guarantee its solvency for the next 12 months.

Just make sure you have realised what that means; a sovereign European country, Greece, is feared to be on the brink of insolvency.

While George Papandreou's government ramps up the privatisation programme and tries valiantly to cut public spending whilst the left-wing protests abound and Greek workers try to protect their right to retire at 53, Mr Junker had some good news for Greece but very, very bad news for the rest of the EU; he said that the IMF was assuming that if it decided not to make the payment the EU would step in and make the payment instead.

How much more money are the, relatively, solvent countries of mainly Northern Europe expected to throw at the, relatively, insolvent countries of Southern Europe? Why should German, British and Dutch citizens help to subsidise the people of Greece, Portugal, Ireland, Spain and Italy?

'Japan beats deflation for the first time in two years'

'Japan beats deflation for the first time in two years'

So reports the headline on this BBC piece. My immediate thought when I read the headline, and bear in mind that a lot of people don't read much if any of these articles was, if Japan the land of deflation is starting to experience inflation then we really could be in the early stages of a nasty period of inflation.

The BBC do go on to explain that this is not all good news:

'However, credit ratings agency Fitch has downgraded its outlook on Japan's debt to negative from stable.

Fitch said it was worried about the high levels of Japanese government debt.

...

Gross domestic product shrank 0.9% in the first three months of the year.

Japan's economy has now contracted for two quarters in a row, the generally accepted definition of a recession.'

However that headline really should be re-written.

Trouble at FIFA?

Hmmm first Fifa's ethics committee announced an inquiry into Mohamed Bin Hammam, Sepp Blatter's only rival for the presidency in next week's elections and I must admit I wondered for a moment if this was more than coincidental. Then today we learn that FIFA have also opened ethics proceedings against Sepp Blatter.

Could both candidates for the presidency be declared invalid due to the ethics investigations? Who could possibly take-over in those circumstances? FIFA vice-president Jack Warner; maybe not.

Do you ever get the feeling that you are over-taxed and that the value of your money is decreasing?

Do you think it's coincidental?

'The way to crush the bourgeoisie is to grind them between the millstones of taxation and inflation.' - Vladimir Ilyich Lenin

Another case of a photographer being mistreated by 'officials'

The British Journal of Photography report an interesting case.

'"Last night I had the “pleasure” of being detained against my will not by the police but by Rail Enforcement Officers who operate on the South Eastern rail services. What did I do wrong? I took a picture of these Rail Enforcement Officers and when they asked me to see and then remove the pictures from my phone I refused."
With these words, Olly, a blogger for the You've Been Cromwelled blog, starts the account of another abuse of power by rail staffers, who questionned Olly's motives for taking photos of them. "While he was asking me these questions his colleague came to join him and he too was asking me similar questions. Each time I told them they had no authority over me, and that I hadn’t committed any crime, nor was I unruly, and I had a perfectly legitimate ticket which entitled me to be on the train. The younger of the two officers explained he had seen me taking pictures of them on the platform and they had the right to see those pictures because of their safety. I refused. The older one then said they did have the authority to do so because of the terrorism act. I asked which terrorism act and why were they enforcing that act if they were not police officers? They informed us they did have those powers."
After being detaine for 30 minutes, British Police officers showed up, confirming that Olly had done anything wrong and should not have been detained.'

I know the tale is from last year but it is one that I was not previously aware of.

'Let's blame the Jews'

Pat Condell speaks about Israel, anti-Semitism & Jerusalem and makes rather a lot of sense.

Pat Condell is not someone I am 100% sure about, his views on all religions are not the same as mine but on this matter... who could really disagree?

Odd remark of the day

“I also gave Frank Skinner his first avocado.”

John Fleming at So It Goes has more details and the link to Cabinet Minister (at the time of writing this) Chris Huhne.

Game over for Chris Huhne?

The Telegraph are reporting this morning that:
'Chris Huhne's former wife signed a sworn legal confession, admitting that she had taken speeding points on behalf of the Energy Secretary, The Daily Telegraph has learnt.'

If true, is this game over for Chris Huhne? If not, what does a Lib Dem Minister have to do to get either charged or sacked from the Cabinet?

The truth about Jerusalem

Earlier this week I promised a few posts about Jerusalem but unfortunately work has precluded me from doing as I promised. However I have found this excellent video that summarises much of what I was going to say. The key point is that there was no split between East and West Jerusalem until 1948 when the Jordanian army drove Jews from that part of the city and built walls to split the city into East and West.




It is disgusting that so much of the western media are spreading the lie that there is a western Jewish and Eastern Muslim Jerusalem. There was no division before 1948 and that division lasted just 19 years out of Jerusalem's thousands of years of existence.

The same can be also said of Hebron which we are continually told had no Jewish presence until after 1967. That is total crap; Hebron had a large Jewish community for hundreds of years, until the Arab pogroms of 1929 and 1936. The Arabs attacked and murdered all the Jews who didn't manage to escape. Oddly enough after that Hebron was indeed Judenfrei. In 1967, after winning a defensive war, Israel retook Hebron. Some Jews moved back there, without evicting any Arabs, and built homes. This was not creating Jewish homes on Muslim land it was repopulating a Jewish area that had been ethnically cleansed only 30 or so years previously.

It seems that too much of the western media and politicians are willing to follow the Muslim line that land once Muslim can never be other than Muslim. This line of thought is a dangerous one to walk down as in 1683 the armies of Islam reached as far into Europe as the outskirts of Vienna.


All of Portugal, virtually all of Spain and much of Southern France were once under Islamic occupation, as were Sicily, Sardinia, Corsica, Mallorca and the other Ballearic islands, Greece, Bulgaria, Romania, Hungary, large amounts of the Balkan states and as alluded to above - parts of Eastern Austria. There were two different periods of conquest the Western areas under Saladin conquests 711-1091 and the Eastern under the Ottomans in the 15th, 16th and 17th centuries. Should all of these lands, as they were once Muslim be returned to Islam? Is that process already under way, albeit by stealth?

The most biased piece of news 'reporting' ever?

I know that's a tall order but I think the BBC's Jeremy Bowen may just have managed it with this article entitled 'Netanyahu chooses to make things worse with Capitol Hill speech;. Here's how he starts:

'It was not as if there was a chance of peace for Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to squander in Washington. No peace process worth talking about exists to be revived. But he had a choice of making matters worse or better, and he chose to make them worse.'

If you have a strong stomach then do read it all but the bile and venom is quite incredible.

There is a comment thread at Biased BBC that is analysing and explaining Jeremy Bowen's bias, take a read.

Maybe the best explanation of Jeremy Bowen's outlook comes from an interview with The Independent newspaper (from 2006), The Independent newspaper being no friend of Israel itself. Here's a few extracts:

'Not only must he demystify the Middle East, but he must do so in language that does not, through an inappropriate phrase or image, inflame suspicions that the BBC is biased. Bowen, who is a contributor to the BBC's new College of Journalism, is honest enough to say that objectivity is beyond him. "We all come from somewhere; we all have a prism through which we see the world; we all have an education, and views and experiences. It's a false objective to be objective.

"But I think I can be impartial by trying to disentangle all the threads that make up a story. That's an ambitious thing to do in two and a half minutes on TV. You have got to be aware of what your own prejudices and principles are and put them to one side in a box."'

So he admits that 'objectivity is beyond him' but is 'aware of ... prejuducices' and can put them to one side. Hmm so what are Jeremy Bowen's prejudices regarding Israel and the Middle East?

'The pivotal moment in his career - "in my life", he corrects - was the Israeli tank attack on the Mercedes car in which he and two colleagues were travelling through southern Lebanon in 2000. At the moment of the attack, Bowen and his cameramen Malek Kanaan were a short distance away doing a piece to camera. Their fixer and driver Abed Takkoush had remained in the vehicle to make a phone call to his son.

With the car in flames, the tank's machine gun prevented Bowen from going to his friend's aid. "I felt like a coward," he writes. "I decided I could not save him and that I had to save myself. The ending was not happy. Life is not a film."

After that, the thrill of war was never quite the same. Bowen suffered post-traumatic stress disorder and underwent counselling. He took the chance to work far from the firing line as a breakfast presenter, and when in 2003 the chance came up to report the Iraq invasion from Baghdad, a city he knew well, he turned it down.'

I wonder if this incident might have created some anti-Israel prejudice in Jeremy Bowen and whether the BBC were right to appoint him Middle East Editor?

The onward march of Islam?

From BBC Radio 4

'Islam Inc
From Africa to Kazakhstan, a new Islamic network is attracting millions of followers - and millions of dollars. Inspired by a little-known Turkish Imam, the Gulen movement has more than a thousand schools in more than a hundred countries as well as thinktanks, newspapers, TV and radio stations, a university - and even a bank. The movement's critics claim it's determined to create a new Muslim empire. It's supporters say it's just the expression of a modern, business-friendly Islam committed to human rights and democracy. Edward Stourton travels to Turkey to find out about the man who inspired what has become a global phenomenon - Fetullah Gulen. There he meets supporters and critics of the movement. He also talks to some of its most committed ambassadors - who are running its schools in Central Asia. '

I wonder which  side of the argument the BBC's Edward Stourton comes down on? Something tells me it won't be that of the 'movement's critics (who) claim it's determined to create a new Muslim empire'. Am I wrong?

Is this what happens when you arem the police and have a shoot to kill policy?

Pajamas Media have the horrific story of the shooting of U.S. Marine veteran Jose Guereña, read it and worry...

'U.S. Marine veteran Jose Guereña, (was) killed when Dupnik’s deputies gunned him down in his home. They fired 71 shots. They hit him 60 times. And then, as if this wasn’t enough, Dupnik’s deputies blocked paramedics for an hour and 14 minutes from approaching the scene, denying Guereña treatment until he was assuredly dead.
Dupnik’s SWAT team initially claimed that Guereña fired at them while they were serving a warrant — as he slept. They claimed that his bullets hit the bulletproof shield that the entry team hid behind, and that the barrage of bullets they fired back was in self-defense.

Only, Guereña never fired his weapon. Awoken by his wife with screams that men with guns were invading his home and threatening his family, Jose Guereña armed himself with a AR-15 rifle and crouched in the hallway. The SWAT team unloaded upon Guereña on sight. He apparently recognized the home invaders as police. He took 60 rounds, but never — as the Pima County Sheriff’s Department was forced to admit — took off his weapon’s safety as he was being killed.'

Scary, very scary.

That Barack Obama speech in full

Anna Raccoon has the whole speech, here's an excerpt:

'Hello.

My name is Barak Obama.
I look a bit like Morgan Freeman. And I sound like him too.
Especially in The Shawshank Redemption. Which is quite a good film.
There is always hope!
Mozart is uplifting!
But I am not him.
And I am not Oprah Winfrey either. In case you were wondering.

My name is Barack.
I am President of the United States of America.
That’s really cool. I am really cool.
Yesterday I was Irish. Today I like you English people who live in this place called Britain. It’s cool.
I hope you like me too.
I have a very Big Car.'

Cruel? Maybe.
Funny? Definitely.
Closer to the truth than many would have you believe? Absolutely.

With his teleprompters Barack Obama is a fair orator but not exceptional. Without them he is a mess; witness his off the cuff speeches during the Presidential election campaign - there is some video on this very site, take a look.

Question: Whose last words were "drink, drink, fan, fan, rub, rub"?

Answer: Admiral Lord Nelson

The problem with the burqa

Accusations of racism, the burqua and Australia.

How big should the Jewish National Home (Israel) be?

It was only after World War I, at the Paris Peace Conference(1), that the name "Palestine" was applied to a clearly defined piece of territory - the area which today comprises Israel and Jordan. It was agreed that "Palestine" was to become a League of Nations Mandate, entrusted to Great Britain. Under the terms of the Mandate, Britain's principal obligation was to facilitate the implementation of the Balfour Declaration of November 2, 1917, which pledged "the establishment of a national home for the Jewish people."(2) No territorial restrictions whatsoever - neither east nor west of the Jordan River were placed on the Jewish National Home. In fact, the Mandate stipulated that Britain was to "facilitate Jewish immigration under suitable conditions and shall encourage close settlement by Jews on the land."(3)

The British however split the land promised to the "Jewish People" and gave approximately  78% to create Transjordan.

Nevertheless, in July 1922, the British divided Palestine into two administrative districts. Note the black line on the map. Jews would be permitted only west of the black line. To the east, in what became known as "Transjordan", the British installed a Hashemite ruler named Abdullah, who had been expelled from the Arabian peninsula.(1) By making this division, the British reduced the area available for the Jewish National Home to only 22% of the entire area of Palestine.

Jordan is the land that the Palestinians should live in and that has been accepted by many in the past. Do remember that back on March 31, 1977, the Dutch newspaper Trouw published an interview with Palestine Liberation Organization executive committee member Zahir Muhsein. Here's what he said:

"The Palestinian people does not exist. The creation of a Palestinian state is only a means for continuing our struggle against the state of Israel for our Arab unity. In reality today there is no difference between Jordanians, Palestinians, Syrians and Lebanese. Only for political and tactical reasons do we speak today about the existence of a Palestinian people, since Arab national interests demand that we posit the existence of a distinct "Palestinian people" to oppose Zionism.

For tactical reasons, Jordan, which is a sovereign state with defined borders, cannot raise claims to Haifa and Jaffa, while as a Palestinian, I can undoubtedly demand Haifa, Jaffa, Beer-Sheva and Jerusalem. However, the moment we reclaim our right to all of Palestine, we will not wait even a minute to unite Palestine and Jordan."

As I have said before the late 1940s were a time of great population transfers in Eastern Europe, between India and Pakistan and elsewhere and yet only in Israel/Palestine are the displaced still considered refugees. In 1948 over a million Hindus fled Pakistan and a similar number of Muslims left India for Pakistan. Both populations were absorbed by their new countries. In the same region, large population transfers happened when Bangladesh was created. Likewise ethnic Germans were expelled from Central and Eastern Europe had to assimilate in Germany, whilst Hungarian refugees from Czechoslovakia and other places found sanctuary in Hungary, Ukrainians who were expelled from Poland found sanctuary in Ukraine, and so on. In the Middle East 750,000 Jews were expelled form their homes in Arab countries and were absorbed into Israel. Why were the 'Palestinians' not absorbed into Jordan, Syria, Egypt & The Lebanon? The Palestinians talk about the 'right of return' and their right to live in their ancestral homes again. Does the same right exist for the Jews forced to flee Iraq, Egypt, Syria and other Arab countries? The value of the assets these Jews left behind has been valued at today's prices at around $300 billion. A US based organization has decades-old property deeds of Jews from Arab countries on a total area of 100,000 sq.km. - which is five times the size of the State of Israel.

So why did the Arab countries not absorb the Palestinian refugees? In 1959, the Arab League passed Resolution 1457, which stated thus:

'The Arab countries will not grant citizenship to applicants of Palestinian origin in order to prevent their assimilation into the host countries.'

So the Palestinian refugees are not permanent refugees because of Israel's actions but because of a decision taken by the Arab League. Thus the accepted narrative that heaps blame on Israel because it expelled the refugees is actually not true.


Having  lost 78% of what was promised to the Jewish people for a homeland and now existing on a sliver of land surrounded by far larger Muslim countries why should Israel be further reduced in size? Do you realise how small Israel is? Why should the Jews not be allowed to keep one small portion of the land they were promised in the Balfour Declaration?

Maps and side text is from The Jewish Agency's maps and Iris.

Is that me in another music video?

Following on from my appearance in the video for Blondie's 'Rapture', is this me in a music-video style advert for the Samsung SH100 camera?

I believe that the rapper is called Watsky. Personally I like the chain I am wearing in the video.

Geek porn

You can buy this useful item from Etsy; $5 in USA, $14 in UK.

Here's the sales pitch:

'Yes, you are looking at a flogger crafted from cat-5 wiring. (Internet cable, in other words.) It sports a D-ring for easy hanging. This will satisfy your inner - or outer! - geek for sure. :) Each tip is firmly wired in place and secured with bonding glue. Packs quite a sting, and will leave such distinct marks! This baby is bound to make your sub /beg.

This Cat-5 Flogger boasts the colors of fire; red, yellow, orange.


Custom floggers available at no extra cost. '

Yoda from Star Wars meets Danny from Withnail and I

Brilliant, absolutely brilliant... Yoda is Danny.

'Likes a Camberwell Carrot, Yoda does, hmmm'

Blog News (further update)

Into the final straight with 'the project', so blogging will be light for the rest of this week and then hopefully back to normal next week.

Having said that, I have found some great odd stuff recently and they are on timed posts for the rest of the day; enjoy...

Imagine if it had been George W. Bush (update)

I also note that Barack Obama spoke over the National Anthem during his toast to the Queen...

Now he may have been surprised by the start of the National Anthem but surely a quick thinker would have stopped, waited for the end of the anthem and then finished his toast. A polite man might have even apologised to the Queen but Barack Obama just kept on going. The BBC are reporting this as a 'hiccup' and attaching absolutely no blame to Barack Obama, preferring to blame the . I wonder if they would have been as forgiving had it been George W. Bush?

Thanks to Biased BBC for the 'toast' video spot.

Imagine if it had been George W. Bush

Imagine the furore on the BBC, the calls of what an uneducated idiot, if George W. Bush had signed his name with the wrong day or month. Have I Got News For You and The News Quiz would have been using it for 'material' for months. However as it is Barack Obama who actually put the wrong year down, putting 2008 instead of 2011 under his signature in the visitors book at Westminster Abbey, I predict very little coverage on the BBC and no jokes, just as the coverage of Barack Obama choosing the wrong door at the White House received next to no coverage but that of George W. Bush doing the same received lots of coverage.

Here's the relevant signature and date.

For more on this story, read NY Mag.


The BBC have a narrative to sell and a US President to get re-elected and unbiased news reporting must be bent to those aims.

The one hundred and thirty second weekly "No shit, Sherlock" award

This week's winners are the International Atomic Energy Authority for their leaked conclusions as reported on Al Jazeera:

'A Syrian site bombed by Israel in 2007 was "very likely" to have been a nuclear reactor, the UN atomic agency has said in a report, a conclusion which may lead to Damascus being referred to the UN Security Council.

The confidential report by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) threw independent weight behind US allegations that Syria was secretly building a reactor at the Dair Alzour site in the desert, possibly with military aims.'

So the Syrian site bombed by Israel was a nuclear reactor; "No shit, Sherlock"